DIY & Crafts

Effective Homemade Poison Ivy Killer – How Tos And Recipe

by craftmin | January 26, 2018

Is poison ivy taking over your land? It is a poisonous plant that can cause itchy and painful rashes upon contact, and is also known for growing on a wide variety of soil types and withstanding flooding. Maybe the nerves and frustration might lead you to use chemicals just to eradicate it fast. Chemical and herbicides can cause more harm than good both to the soil and to your health. So, what other option do you have? The best option is an all-natural, homemade poison ivy killer to effectively eradicate the annoying plants. The key to completely eradicate this nuisance is through diligent application of this homemade poison ivy killer. Try this recipe to check out other natural and soil-friendly ways of eradicating these plants.

Homemade Poison Ivy Killer Recipe

This homemade poison ivy killer recipe is especially effective for younger poison ivy plants, as their roots are not yet well established like those of the older ones. For older poison ivy plants, it is also effective but the plants have a chance of growing back since they are more deep-rooted and are harder to kill. Just repeat the application until the roots get too tired of growing back – eventually they will die. Good thing this is an all-natural recipe, so the repeated application will not post any harm to your health. Just remember to use it carefully beside plants that you want to keep as this mixture can cause them to die, too.

Ingredients

vinegar, 3 cups

salt, 1/2 cup

liquid detergent or soap, 1 tablespoon

spray bottle

Directions

1. Combine 3 cups vinegar and 1/2 cup salt.
2. Stir the mixture to completely dissolve the salt in the vinegar.
3. Stir in 1 tablespoon liquid detergent, then pour into your spray bottle.
4. Spray liberally onto the poison ivy leaves. Wait for a week and repeat application as necessary. It is best to apply this homemade poison ivy killer during dry weather.

Other Effective And Natural Ways To Kill Poison Ivy

Adverts for chemical herbicides claim to be effective in completely removing weeds, including poison ivy plants, fast. But since poison ivy plants are very hard to kill, they need repeat applications which can also harm and often kill soil microorganisms like bacteria and fungi? These microorganisms play an important role in keeping the soil healthy. Chemicals can also cause a drastic change in your soil’s pH so you will be making the soil conducive to the growth of other weeds by changing your soil’s acidity. So if you are planning to use your land for farming, you should think twice when considering chemical herbicides to remove these pesky plants. Here are some other natural ways of clearing your land of poison ivy without harming your soil and its natural microflora.

1. Through Manual Pulling

This is as simple as it gets. Pulling out these plants as much as possible by their roots is a time-tested and natural way of clearing your land from these poison ivy plants. Just make sure that you wear a proper outfit to do the job, with closed shoes, long pants, long sleeves, and a pair of gloves to protect you from the itchy and sometimes painful rashes. Make sure you dispose the cleared up weeds properly without burning them.

2. Mowing and Trimming

You just have to keep on mowing and trimming and show these horrible weeds who’s the real boss. Show them who owns the land – let’s just hope that these plants give up before you do. The bright side here is that if you have healthy soil, you get to keep it that way by staying away from chemical poison ivy killer alternatives.

3. With Boiling Water

It is best to deal with poison ivy problem while they are still young and few. If this is the case, consider watering them and other weeds with boiling water – many people swear that this really works. If you have a bigger poison ivy problem, then this remedy might not be practical.

4. Soil Washing

If you think you have tested every possible solution to get rid of these plants, it’s time to check what type of soil you have. Maybe there’s something in your soil that keeps these plant growing back? If this is the issue, we need to treat the soil with some soil remediation or soil washing.

Fixing the Soil’s Mineral Deficit

Check whether your soil is deficient in minerals like phosphorus, calcium and selenium, which would make it conducive for the poison ivy plants to grow back – no matter how hard you try to get rid of them. Don’t worry because application of compost tea can help improve your soil’s nutrient levels and make it healthy for other plants.

5. Sheet Mulch

6. Get Some Goats

And when all else fails, let the goats out and eat these plants! Goats are known to love poison ivy plants. With a little bit of training, you can have them stay in a spot and eat up all your problems away. With some fresh goat’s milk on the side, too.